Mobile terminal without microphone hole

ABSTRACT

A mobile terminal is provided that does not have a separate dedicated microphone hole. The mobile terminal preferably includes an ear jack assembly and a microphone unit. The ear jack assembly includes an ear jack plug insert hole. The microphone unit is disposed in a neighborhood of the ear jack assembly. The microphone unit is realized to use a microphone hole for receiving an external note also as an ear jack plug insert hole. Since a microphone hole for a speaker phone is excluded, the microphone unit is advantageous in space utilization, and can contribute to designing an elegance appearance of the mobile terminal. In addition, since the microphone unit is manufactured integrally with the ear jack assembly, manufacturing costs reduce and working efficiency may increase.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) from Korean patent application Serial No. 10-2011-0038214 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Apr. 25, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to electronic devices such as a mobile terminal including at least one microphone unit. More particularly, the present invention relates to the efficient use of space of a mobile terminal

2. Description of the Related Art

A mobile terminal not only provides basic voice communication with a counterpart user, but in recent years have been developed to also include a plurality of additional functions. For example, some of the additional functions including a digital camera module having of millions of pixels therein to capture an object or capture moving images, capabilities for downloading a sound source to listen to music, viewing television (TV) for sky waves, etc. The additional functions become diversified more and more and the volume of the mobile terminal is minimized to meet a user's desire.

In operating the above-described functions, the microphone unit is generally used in accordance with the additional functions. For example, the microphone unit is an indispensable element in the case of not only transmitting a terminal user's voice to a counterpart user during voice communication, but also for recording sounds while capturing moving images or using the mobile terminal as a voice recorder.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a mobile terminal 100 according to the conventional art. A display unit 101 is installed on the front side of the mobile terminal, and a speaker unit 102 is installed above the display unit 101. In addition, a microphone unit applied to the mobile terminal is divided into a main microphone unit 103 for mounting the mobile terminal to a head portion and performing voice communication, and a sub microphone unit 104 for speaker phone communication. The main microphone unit 103 is installed in the lower portion of the mobile terminal 100, and the sub microphone unit 104 is installed in the upper portion of the mobile terminal 100. At this point, the sub microphone unit 104 may be formed in the neighborhood of an ear jack hole 105 formed for receiving an ear jack plug of an earphone unit (not shown).

Unsuccessful attempts to eliminate the microphone hole of the speaker unit 102, which is an ear piece for listening with the mobile terminal relatively close to the ear such as in a non-speakerphone telephone conversation, was to use the sub-microphone hole. However, there is a degree of difficulty in such an arrangement due to the speaker unit always being installed at a constant position occurs. Therefore, even when the sub-microphone hole is shared, an effect of a 2-microphone solution cannot be achieved. Consequently, a second microphone of the 2-microphone arrangement should be added to a different portion of the mobile terminal separately, which not only increases manufacturing costs but also is contradictory to an efficient space utilization, and simultaneously, the microphone hole spoils the elegance of the telephone's appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An exemplary aspect of the present invention is to address at least the above-mentioned disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an exemplary aspect of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal without having a separately dedicated microphone hole. The present invention permits securing additional free for the mobile terminal by excluding the dedicated microphone hole.

Another exemplary aspect of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal without a dedicated microphone hole, realized to contribute to designing of an elegant appearance of the mobile terminal by excluding the microphone hole.

Still another exemplary aspect of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal without a dedicated microphone hole, realized to contribute to reduction of manufacturing costs by applying a microphone to an ear jack assembly to produce them in one unit.

In accordance with yet another exemplary aspect of the present invention, a mobile terminal is provided that includes an ear jack assembly including an ear jack plug insert hole, and a microphone unit disposed adjacent of the ear jack assembly, wherein the microphone unit is realized to use the insert hole for receiving an external sound and the insert holes doubles as an ear jack plug insert hole.

In addition, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an ear jack assembly where the microphone unit and the ear jack plug insert hole are integrated. In accordance with another exemplary aspect of the present invention, an ear jack assembly is provided to an apparatus used for receiving an external sound. The ear jack assembly includes an ear jack plug insert hole for receiving an ear jack plug, and a microphone unit disposed in a neighborhood of the ear jack plug insert hole and using the ear jack plug insert hole as a microphone hole for receiving an external note, the ear jack plug insert hole and the microphone unit being integrated in one unit.

The above-described invention is applicable to various apparatuses having an ear jack assembly and a microphone unit together, such as, a mobile terminal for transmitting/receiving voice, and an MP3 player having a voice recorder function, just to name to possible electronic devices of the many devices that would benefit from the present invention.

Other exemplary aspects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other exemplary aspects, features and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent to the artisan from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the conventional mobile terminal;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views illustrating a portion of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a graph comparing sensitivity for each frequency depending on a conventional device having a separate microphone hole versus a device without a separate microphone hole in which the microphone unit receives sound transferred from the ear jack insert hole according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood to refer to like parts, components and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. The description includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the exemplary embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness when their inclusion could obscure appreciation of the present invention by the person of ordinary skill in the art.

Though a hole for a sub-microphone unit for a speaker phone has been excluded in describing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a hole for a different microphone unit may also be excluded from the device. For example, in the case where an ear jack hole of a mobile terminal is installed in the lower portion, a hole for a main microphone for voice communication may be excluded from the device.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views illustrating a portion of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, an upper portion of a case frame 10 of the mobile terminal is shown. An ear jack assembly 20 for receiving an ear jack plug of an earphone unit is installed inside the case frame 10. An ear jack plug insert hole 21 is formed in the ear jack assembly 20. Simultaneously, an opening 11 may be formed in a corresponding position of the case frame 10 to permit insertion of a jack.

A microphone unit 30 is installed in the neighborhood (i.e. adjacent) of the ear jack assembly 20. The microphone unit 30 may comprise a main microphone unit for voice communication or a sub-microphone unit for communication in a speaker phone mode depending on an installation position of the ear jack assembly 20. In the present drawing, a sub-microphone unit has been illustrated. The microphone unit 30 is separated from the ear jack assembly in this example by a microphone guide 13 and/or by a bushing 12 from the ear jack assembly unit. FIG. 2B provides a view where the microphone guide 13 is arranged relative to the ear jack insert hole 21 of ear jack assembly 21 and the microphone unit 30. For example, microphone guide 13 may be a hollow passageway between microphone unit 30 and the ear jack insert hole 21.

A magnified view for circled portion of FIG. 2A according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is also shown.

As stated above, an ear jack plug insert hole 21 is formed in the ear jack assembly 20. Simultaneously, an opening 11 may be formed in a corresponding position of the case frame 10 to permit insertion of a jack. A microphone unit 30 is installed in the neighborhood (i.e. adjacent) of the ear jack assembly 20. The microphone unit 30 may comprise a main microphone unit for voice communication or a sub-microphone unit for communication in a speaker phone mode depending on an installation position of the ear jack assembly 20. In the present drawing, a sub-microphone unit has been illustrated. The microphone unit 30 is separated from the ear jack assembly in this example by a microphone guide 13 and/or by a bushing 12 from the ear jack assembly unit.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the microphone unit 30 is installed preferably in a position adjacent to the ear jack assembly 20 to exclude a microphone hole of the microphone unit 30 and uses the ear jack insert hole 21 of the ear jack assembly 20 as the microphone hole of the microphone unit 30. In other words, the ear jack insert hole 21 of the ear jack assembly serves two purposes, the second purpose being to provide a path for sound to the microphone. Therefore, the microphone unit 30 may be fixed using a predetermined bushing 12 formed in the case frame 10, and a microphone guide 13 may be installed or formed between the microphone unit 30 and the ear jack plug insert hole 21. The microphone guide 13 may be injection-molded together while the case frame 10 is molded, and a separate guide unit may be used.

Accordingly, in the case where the microphone unit 30 is used as a sub-microphone unit of the mobile terminal, the ear jack plug insert hole 21 of the ear jack assembly 20 may serve a dual or secondary purpose as a microphone hole used for the sub microphone unit. However, in the case where the ear jack plug is inserted into the ear jack plug insert hole 21 and operates, since the sub microphone unit for the speaker phone function does not operate when one is using an ear jack (speaker phone and ear jack functions are typically mutually exclusive of each other), and the use of the ear jack plug insert hole 21 for the ear jack does not interfere with the instance where the user wants to activate the speaker phone function.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a microphone unit 42 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be disposed integrally within an ear jack assembly 40. In this case, no separate microphone guide is required. Since the microphone unit 42 is applied together while the ear jack assembly 40 is manufactured, a process becomes simple and manufacturing costs can be reduced. In addition, since a space for preparing a separate bushing for fixing the microphone unit is excluded, it will be very advantageous in an aspect of securing an installation space of other parts. For example, as in the case of FIG. 3, when the microphone unit 42 is designed integrally with the ear jack assembly 40, a space of about 0.02 cc may be secured. This space is a very advantageous to 20 a terminal manufacturing company making efforts for a lightweight and slim profile in a small size in order to meet consumer increasing demand for lighter weight and smaller size devices.

A magnified view for circled portion of FIG. 3 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is also shown.

The ear jack assembly 40 is mounted preferably in a Surface Mounted Device (SMD) type on a substrate. In this case, a plurality of pins (not shown) in the lower side may be fixed using soldering. The conventional ear jack assembly generally includes four pins of EAR_R, EAR_L, which are two sound signal lines for listening to stereo, EAR_MIC, which is a microphone signal line, and GND, which is a ground terminal In the case where the microphone unit 42 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is realized together with the ear jack assembly, six pins of EAR_R, EAR_L, which are two sound signal lines for listening to stereo, EAR_MIC, which is a microphone signal line, GND, which is a ground terminal, VCC for supplying power, and MIC+, which is a microphone signal line of the microphone unit are realized together and may be soldered on the substrate.

FIG. 4 is a graph comparing sensitivity in dB/1V for each frequency depending on existence of a microphone hole according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A illustrates a sensitivity test result of the conventional microphone unit having a microphone hole separately, and FIG. 4B illustrates a sensitivity test result of a microphone unit in a device that does not have a separate microphone hole and uses an ear jack insert hole to transfer sound to the microphone unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Comparing FIGS. 4A and 4B, the sensitivity is the same up to about 3.5 KHz and a microphone unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention shows attenuation of sensitivity by about 10 dB in the band of 3.8 KHz but this result does not have a great influence on a TX performance. In other words, even when a dedicated microphone hole is excluded from the structure and only an ear jack plug insert hole is used in substitution for a microphone hole according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is no adverse performance issues of the microphone unit.

Consequently, a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention excludes a separate or dedicated microphone hole for a speaker phone and is advantageous in space utilization, and can contribute to designing an elegance appearance of the mobile terminal without an adverse effect on performance. In addition, since the microphone unit can be manufactured integrally with the ear jack assembly, which can reduce manufacturing costs and increase operating efficiency.

Although the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. For example, although the openings showed in the drawings are circular, other types of shapes are within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, as the ear jack could have. for example a substantially rectangular construction. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments but should be determined by not only the appended claims but also the equivalents thereof. 

1. A mobile terminal comprising: a case frame having an opening therein sized to receive an ear jack; an ear jack assembly arranged within the case frame and having an ear jack plug insert hole substantially corresponding to the opening in the case frame to receive and electrically couple with a removable attachable ear jack; and a microphone unit disposed within the case frame adjacent the ear jack assembly, wherein the microphone unit receives an external sound through the ear jack plug insert hole.
 2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the case frame does not have a separate microphone hole therein that substantially corresponds with the microphone unit.
 3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein a microphone guide is disposed between the microphone unit and the ear jack plug insert hole that is arranged to permit a transfer path of external sound received through the ear jack plug insert hole to the microphone unit.
 4. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the microphone guide is formed by injection molding of the case frame.
 5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the microphone unit is disposed integrally with the ear jack assembly.
 6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the microphone unit includes a pin for electrical coupling, and a portion of the pin of the microphone unit is installed such that the portion of the pin is shared with a pin of the ear jack assembly.
 7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the ear jack assembly having the microphone unit integrally arranged is disposed on a substrate of the mobile terminal in a Surface Mounted Device (SMD) arrangement, and comprises pins for at least one sound signal line, a microphone signal line (EAR_MIC), a ground (GND), power (VCC), and a microphone signal line (MIC+) of the microphone unit.
 8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the at least one sound signal line comprises two signal lines (EAR_R, EAR_L) for listening to stereo.
 9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the microphone unit includes a speaker phone function that is operational when a speaker phone mode of the mobile terminal is active.
 10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the microphone unit comprises a sub-microphone unit, and wherein the mobile terminal further includes a main microphone unit.
 11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the microphone unit comprises a sub-microphone unit, and the mobile terminal further comprises a main microphone unit for voice communication, and wherein the ear jack insert hole is installed in a lower portion of the case frame of the mobile terminal, and the main microphone unit for voice communication does not receive external sound through a separately dedicated microphone hole in the case frame.
 12. An ear jack assembly for an apparatus used for receiving an external sound, the ear jack assembly comprising: an ear jack plug insert hole sized for receiving an ear jack plug; and a microphone unit disposed adjacent the ear jack plug insert hole in which the microphone unit receives sound transferred from the ear jack plug insert hole in lieu of a separate microphone hole for receiving an external sound, wherein the ear jack plug insert hole and the microphone unit being integrated in one unit.
 13. The ear jack assembly of claim 12, wherein the ear jack assembly is disposed on a substrate of the apparatus in a Surface Mounted Device (SMD) arrangement, and the microphone unit includes at least one pin for electrical coupling, wherein a portion of the at least one pin is coupled with a pin disposed in the ear jack plug insert hole.
 14. The ear jack assembly of claim 12, wherein the ear jack assembly is disposed on a substrate of a terminal in a Surface Mounted Device (SMD) arrangement, and comprises pins for coupling with at least one sound signal line, a microphone signal line (EAR_MIC), a ground (GND), power (VCC), and a microphone signal line (MIC+) of the microphone unit.
 15. The ear jack assembly of claim 14, wherein the at least one sound signal line comprises two signal lines (EAR_R, EAR_L) for listening to stereo.
 16. The ear jack assembly of claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal for transmitting/receiving voice.
 17. The ear jack assembly of claim 15, wherein the microphone unit includes a speaker phone function that is operation when a speaker phone mode of the mobile terminal is activated.
 18. The ear jack assembly of claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises an MP3 player that can receive voice commands or record voices. 